Damian Marley – Welcome to Jamrock (Ghetto Youths United 2005)

As I said at the time:

“It’s fair to say that Bob Marley had a load of kids. It’s probably only slightly contentious to point out that, whilst many of them have entered the record industry, not many of them have produced anything of much cop. Chalk one up for nurture in the great reggae genetics debate…

However, I was somewhat chuffed to come across Maestro’s “I’m a Dad” single a while back, on the Ghetto Youths United label, which apparently has some kind of Marley connection. A nice bouncy do-over riddim (yeah yeah I’ll get back to you on which one, it’s late!) with a gruff voice on the pleasures of fatherhood – without sounding too trite about it. Nice!

Anyway, if that was a pleasant surprise, my jaw totally dropped to the floor when I first heard Rodigan play “Welcome to Jamrock”. Easily my favourite for 2005 so far, this is going to be MASSIVE!

Great reality ranty lyris: “come on let’s face it, a ghetto education’s basic, and most of the youth dem waste it…”. HUGE HUGE riddim based around and old Ini Kamoze tune with Ini in the mix: “out in the streets, they call it MURDER”

You need this. Unbelievably there is also a Ray Keith drum ‘n’ bass mix in the offing (allegedly).

Aaaaaand it looks like someone is really getting behind this one for a change. Reggae on the up, hey there’s even a great video. Check it aaaaaaht.”

And yeah all that investment paid off. I guess this is probably the reggae tune of the decade in many ways. If you discount the dancehall flava of Sean Paul and Shaggy, this has been heard by most people…

Grime, garage and jungle mixes followed swiftly afterwards. Damian’s brother Stephen followed suit with the excellent “Traffic Jam” and for a minute it looked like the Marley dynasty was going to prove itself useful again…

Cham – Ghetto Story (Madhouse 2005)

“This a survival story, True ghetto story
This is my story, Real ghetto story
Hey

I remember those days when Hell was my home
When Me and Mama bed was a big piece a foam
An mi never like bathe and my hair never comb”

You can’t argue with Cham over a Dave Kelly riddim – Vitamin S (Fiesta, 2003), Rude Boy Pledge (Stageshow, 2006) – much fun to be had. The Eighty-Five riddim crowned them all though. Was it called that because it was at 85 bpm or because it recalled 1985, the dawn of the minimal digi ragga riddim?

Suddenly this was everywhere – the slightly wonky synth intro announcing many a version excursion. Pinchers’ “Desperate Scenario” donated some balance to the procedings with his higher pitched vocal whilst Assassin’s “Everywhere we go” retaind the gruffness but wasn’t anywhere near Cham’s standard. Yellowman’s cut showed the grandmaster slightly worse for wear but was alright.

Then YT got in the game with his “England Story” – altering Cham’s lyrics of a hard childhood in Kingston to a history of UK soundsystem. Unfortunately YT then re-recorded the backing track for his LP, which isn’t surprising given Dave Kelly’s litigious habits, but made a less powerful track. Me and Paul used the original YT cut as an intro to our “Fast Chat Special” mix for Dave Stelfox’s Resonance FM show.

Then (argh!) Akon and (mmm!) Alicia Keys got in on the act and Cham signed a major label record deal…

Gyptian – Serious Times (Fenz 2005)

OK, comments about “Drop Leaf”-mania aside, I liked this one. I liked it a lot – something about the simplicity of the lyrics and delivery makes it very emotional. I can completely understand why people who got into reggae via industrial or On-U Sound would hate this, or just find its sincerity a bit grating.

A very very young vocalist called QQ had a good cut called “Poverty” on the same riddim. QQ also produced one of the few amazing dancehall cuts towards the end of the decade “Tek It To Dem” which would probably make a Top 40 list if I was doing one.

Jammer did a grime re-rub in his Neckle Camp guise. Paul Meme still rejected this for the Grime in the Dancehall mix, though!

Fantan Mojah – Hungry (Down Sound 2005)

Matt B uploaded a nice mix of the Invasion riddim, which allowed me to hold forth on its origins in the foundation Pressure and Slide.

Fantan’s delivery is fantastic, and at the risk of repeating myself, this was just a great upbeat reworking of an old formula.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pWqsGbCyNc

Twilight Circus featuring Michael Rose & Brother Culture – No Burial (M Records 2005)

Ryan Moore really went out on a limb with his productions in the noughties – the full story his trip to Jamaica to work with legends like Sly and Robbie is told in issue 3 of Woofah.

This tune was recorded in a few locations and combines the JA and UK roots styles perfectly. You can tell he’s been as inspired by Shaka as Xterminator, and it all has a brightness to it which only comes with hours of studio time and dedication.

The TC back catalogue can be a bit bewildering at first glance, but basically anything featuring vocalists is a “must have” if you like this. Also some wicked remixes on the singles.

Obviously taking the time to produce tunes like this costs wonga, which in the olden days you might recoup through sales, but now…

Chuck Fender – Gash Dem (Jukeboxxx 2006)

More anti-badman chatting, which apparently irked the autorities in JA so much that they banned it from radio. Presumably because they didn’t want to put off the tourists? Or because of all the attention paid to “murder music” from some quarters (which would be bleakly ironic as the song only calls for the metaphysical destruction of gangsters etc). Chuck’s next single was called “Freedom of Speech”.

The Confessions riddim included some other beauties, some of which are included on RSI Radio vol 1, which also features me mumbling away.

Sizzla – Chant Dem Down (Kalonji 2006)

A “one away” from one of the crossest men in reggae. Tip of the hat again to Rodigan, blink and you missed this release. Headnodding beats under a loop from Errol Dunkley’s “Little Way Different”. I guess this must have been an experiment that paid off? More of This Sort of Thing, please!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrpVK-oKLAk

Collie Budz – Come Around (Massive B 2006)

Guaranteed dancefloor mayhem, especially when backed up with Alborosie’s “Rastafari Anthem” on the same riddim – a do-over (or sample?) from an old Zap Pow track.

Everyone loved this, except it seems for smug white Guardian journalists. It certainly went down a treat when I played it about six o’clock in the morning at that House Party rave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBfgJUwuor4

Manasseh/Ava Leigh – Over The Bridge (Roots Garden 2007)

Now Nick Manasseh is a UK roots legend, but I was a little concerned cos as far as I knew the last female vocalist he’d worked with was Dido. Ava Leigh was promoted as being a mixture of Dido and er… Lily Allen, maybe. So I avoided her when she was playing the beer tent at the Big Chill one year. Stupid preconceptions got blasted again when I heard this, and her “La La La” single. She’s got a great voice as well as being (ahem) picturesque.

So this is one tune on Manasseh’s Levi Riddim, which also features cuts from Luciano & Ras Zacharri (River Jordan) and Jah Mali (Jah Works).

What makes it great is that sparse digital stuff happening in the mix, and the lush stuff over the top of it. Roots Garden haven’t really put a foot wrong, so check them out. Their twelve inch “Showcase” EPs are especially recommended.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M05PUtJfSxI

Alborosie track – Kingston Town (Forward 2007)

Or the “biddly bong” song, as it came to be known. Alborosie first came to my attention in 2006 with his tune Herbalist which was very top stuff and further distinguished itself by having a half decent dub version on the b-side.

Then it emerged that he was a white, dreadlocked Italian who had rocked up in Kingston and spoke better patois than English. Dave Stelfox got the low down once again.

A whole bunch of great seven inches were released on his Forward label (often in distinctive yellow sleeves, for some reason) and he collaborated with everyone from Sizzla to Michael Rose. His production was bang on too.

And yes, there aren’t any tracks from 2008 or 2009 in this chart. Make of that what you will. I’m sure I have missed some tracks, so eel free to do your own versions or leave a comment…

Consider this your grumpy intermission. Part Two of “The best reggae 45s of the noughties” will follow shortly…

Riddim Albums

20 cuts, 40 cuts, but how many are worth playing more than twice?

Riddim albums made economic sense. If you look at the Greensleeves discog for the end of the 90s they were releasing 5 or 6 seven inches for each riddm, some of which were quite difficult to get hold of. The double LPs were cheap, available and great for mixing. And Tony McDermott’s iconic sleeve designs (see above) were awesome.

But it seemed like producers ended up getting any passing stranger into the studio just to make up the numbers to the magical 20. And sometimes there were 3 or 4 of these riddims a month, often with the same “stars” on them alongside the no-marks, all being paid by the hour. The quality took a dive.

Some of the actual riddims were great (especially Diwali, Martial Arts, Hard Drive). Others were pretty dreadful and boasted generic hateful vocals to boot (my personal worst was the Saddam Birthday / Jailbreak riddim LP).

Having said that, there are still some gems from this era, some of which are collected on the Boom Boom Bashment Mix I did with Paul Meme and Paul’s own Nervous Ragga mix.

Collectors/Downloaders

Collectors over-value the music and turn it into a game of speculation and acquisition rather than, y’know, listening.

They have always been around, but until the noughties their presence at least ensured the continuation of record shops. Now ebay has come to the fore you can amass a record collection worth thousands of pounds without actually having to meet anyone except maybe your postman.

Glutonous downloaders devalue the music by acquiring vast quantities of it for free. Don’t worry about the quality or context, look at the size of my iTunes collection!

Neither of these processes (both of which I confess I have been guilty of to a minor degree at times) result in any money going back to the creators of the music. Which brings us nicely to:

Tuff Gong photo by pixelskew

The end of vinyl production in Jamaica

As detailed by my man Dave Stelfox in the Guardian

The medium shouldn’t affect that message, but it does. There is simply less chance of making money out of music now that it has all dematerialised, so less people are interested in getting involved with making it. Also, even by reggae’s usual meagre standards, investment in marketing/promotion is at an all time low. Apparently Vybz Kartel’s latest album sold just eight copies during its first week of release.

I have an emotional and a practical attachment to vinyl, but realistically this is a losing battle.

Drop Leaf

It’s OK as it goes and undeniably popular, but just a bit too twee for me.

The main issue with this riddim is that it basically killed off the “relick reggae” there is so much of in my “best of the noughties” chart. Instead everyone did “tasteful” tunes with plucky guitars or strings and over-emoted. Or they entered the realm of the…

Soca Autotune

Towards the end of the decade it all got a bit more ravey, bit more soca, bit more r ‘n’ b. Which actually sounds alright when I write that, except hardly any of the tunes did it for me. I’ve got lots of love for what Heatwave are doing with their whole Caribbean Rave thing, but I just had to sit this dance out. I really hope this isn’t because it coincided with me entering my forties, but you never know.

Homophobia Hysteria

Look I don’t like homophobia any more than you do. I don’t buy those records, I don’t play those records out, I’m not known for shying away from expressing my views on the matter.

I’m not going to defend people’s right to spout hatred of gay people on some kind of cultural-relativist ticket either, but you would be a bit dim if you didn’t look at the context of anti-gay legislation in JA.

I could write a lot more about this but it usually kicks of a huge ruckus in the comments box and I think we’ve all made our position clear on the issue over the last ten years. And yes, it does seem to have settled down a bit now.

One thing that pisses me off is that coverage of reggae in the media in the noughties was either snide or hysterical. Which is a bit galling for me, as someone who thinks a ton of good things have been happening.

Speaking of which:

Pisstaking Journalists

Yes it’s ridiculous that some white people like music made by black people.

And hilarious that Collie Budz, a white guy who grew up in Bermuda, makes reggae himself.

And we’re all really pleased that you have transcended the disadvantages of a public school upbringing to become a broadsheet journalist who writes so knowledgeably about the music and culture you so clearly love.

Cultural Raiders

Yay! It’s a global village! Even though I’m in my twenties and I live with my parents in affluent Surrey, I can still simulate the sounds of being a Kingston Ghetto Sufferah by the power of my sampler! Look at me posting up pictures of reggae soundsystems on my internet profile! Here’s my latest tune, it’s called “Jah Yardie Lengman Spliff Ackie Lickwood Skank”.

The best example of this for me was some breakcore producer who made a tune called “Battyman” which got released on vinyl without anyone actually knowing what the word meant. This prompted a wise old cove on the C8 discussion forum to comment: “You like sampling Capleton because he sounds so angry. He is angry AT YOU!”

Dance Crazes

“Bad man forward bad man pull up” was a tune. We all had a laugh watching Paul Meme “signal de plane” off the instructions from that Sean Paul poster sleeve. And “Dutty Wine” was alright. But after that, every single bashment tune had to have its own increasingly contrived dance craze.

And yes, it is a bit rich for me to be slagging of Jamaican people for making tunes that go down big time at Kingston dancehalls and across the globe. Sorry.

Needless to say, with “daggering” it all ended in tears. Actually, not just tears: broken penises.

“Festival Reggae”

A relatively new development. Live bands performing their own songs for an international festival audience. There are a few of these around and they all seem to have quite good press agents. I’m reluctant to name them because I am sure they are all very nice, but it just seems a bit lifeless to me.

I guess this development springs from the recognition that you can still make cash out of live performances if not record sales. As Matt B points out in the new Woofah (soon!) – it’s probably nice enough on a sunny afternoon in a field, and might even act as a “gateway drug” for some. But otherwise it all seems a bit surplus to requirements.

The usual disclaimer applies – this is MY top 20.

I would be the first to admit that it is sorely lacking in UK Dub stuff, or even very much bashment. But it is an accurate reflection of my tastes and I’ve had a wicked time putting it together. I hope people enjoy checking it out – even if they disagree with my choices.

It’s in chronological order rather than “worst to best”. Comments are welcome, hold tight for part two shortly!

VC – By His Deeds (Dig Dis 2001)

As I said at the time:

“Sitting in your church on Sunday, thinkin’ who you gonna screw Monday…” – the roots smash of the summer. Like “Gunz in the Ghetto” last year, this combines a great song with social comment. Some nice clarinet (sax?) and backing vocals, with lyrics that tear into hypocrites everywhere, including reggae “warrior” stars (mentioning no names, tho…). The flip brings the clarinet and backing vocals to the fore. Part Two is already out on the same riddim.

UK-born VC never really recaptured the brilliance of his debut 45, but this certainly pricked up the ears of listeners, selectors and producers. For me the 21st Century roots reggae renaissance began here properly. (I never got hold of the part 2 cut either!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64DpiVysXNI

Ward 21 – Ganja Smoke (John John 2001)

Ward 21 and TOK always stood out on the flood of one-riddim albums of the early 00’s. Being groups of vocalists ensured enough variation in their cuts to hold your attention. Ward 21 were especially noticeable because of their incredible booming bass-vocalist. This is a great recut of the ancient rocksteady Shank I Sheck riddim.

I first heard it played out by Mannaseh down at Plastic People and have shamelessly included in most of my own DJ sets since. It’s catchy as hell.

Lenky – Diwali riddim (40/40 + Greensleeves 2002)

The glut of one-riddim double albums from Greensleeves and VP seems like an age ago now, but for a while it was the most cost effective way of getting current dancehall – you just had to wait a month (or a few weeks!) after the 7″ pre came out and there was 20 cuts for a tenner. Diwali was the king of riddims for an age, the original cuts included Wayne Marshall’s “No Letting Go” and Sean Paul’s “Get Busy” which both hit the national top 40 in 2003. Lumidee also got on board the Diwali pop-train with “Never Leave You (Uh-Ooh)”. So a lot of people heard it, probably without knowing what it was.

For me, I’ll always have fond memories of just playing the two Greensleeves 12″ back to back, mixing up Bounty Killer’s “Sufferer”, TOK’s “Galang Gal”, Elephant Man’s Nena-homage “Elephant Message”, Tanya Stephens’ “Can’t Touch Me No More” and maybe finishing up with Crissy D’s “Make It Real Good”. Diwali was great for vocal performances but also because Lenky laid down the tracks a little way different in many cases, so Bounty was pretty hard whilst Crissy D was all spacey, but it was the same vibe.

Tanya Stephens – It’s a Pity (Germaican records 2002)

Another thing about those one-riddim albums is that female vocal performances also really stood out. I’d liked Tanya since hearing her “Bounce Me” back in 1998 but her and Lady Saw really came into their own when up against 19 gruff blokes chatting nonsense about chi-chi men.

Her “Gangsta Blues” album still retained some of that hardcore ragga stuff but also veered worryingly into coffee-table collaborations with people like Wyclef Jean. Despite that, a nice album which saw proper rotation round here throughout the decade. Unfortunately the follow up “Rebelution” jumped the shark for me, though lots of people I respect seem to like it. Tanya seems to have her head screwed on and fair play to her if she can survive as a crossover artist.

Anyway – “It’s A Pity” is a cut of the “Doctor’s Darling” riddim which was put together by the Germaican crew – heralding the ascent of Europe as a centre of rootical bizness in the noughties. Nice and bouncy, plus lyrics about female yearning that are all the more human for eschewing obvious slackness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGqzXx_EwWA

Warrior King – Education (Penthouse 2002)

This was a cornerstone of the mix which I am probably still best known for – Shake The Foundations vol 2. Which is a bit odd, because it is only the second one I ever did, and was circulated on CDRs, before the advent of broadband. Actually, perhaps the scarcity of reggae mixes at the time is something to do with it (at least I hope so!)

Now, around this time I had two reggae gurus. One of them was Rodigan via his Kiss FM show on Sunday nights. I still have a bunch of C90s and then CDRs of Roddy around this flat somewhere which I intend to replay… sometime. The other guru was Gladdy Wax, whose shop Wax Unlimited was located about 2 minutes from my flat. Sometimes I’d offer to go out and buy milk on a hungover Saturday morning and swerve into Gladdy’s to see what was new, then sneak sheepishly back into the flat and try to secrete my purchases somewhere. Other times I’d spend an hour or so down there, a pile of sevens slowly building up in front of me.

I’m not sure which of my gurus first played me this but I knew it was for me, as was the Gregory Isaacs and Buju Banton cut – both on a proper punchy relick of the old “Storm” riddim. Warrior King’s first album includes this and other hits like his “Virtuous Woman” and is well worth checking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiOsoN3ySjE

Anthony B – God Above Everything (Brickwall 2002)

Another crucial cut from the Shake The Foundations vol 2 mix – one of five cuts of the riddim on there. I think my eyes must have popped out of my head when Gladdy (or his younger assistant, whose name I forget) kept playing the numerous versions of this and they were all great. Brickwall is a subsidiary of Bobby Dixon’s Digital B records and this do-over of the rocksteady “It’s Raining” riddim (originally by the Two Tops) convinced many that heard it that reggae was still doing the business in the 21st Century. A breath of fresh air hearing people chanting down bling and guns over a proper bassline for a change.

Fine memories of either the Tighten Up Crew or Solution Sound (yeah my memory isn’t that good!) playing nuff cuts of this in Clissold Park one time as part of the summer Stoke Fest.

Bitty McLean- Walk Away (Peckings 2004)

Sitting in the garden of the Auld Shillelagh in Stoke Newington one summer Saturday afternoon. The daughter is crawling about and taking delight in nicking a lemon out of her Mum’s drink, then grimacing and smiling as she tries to eat it in front of a crowd of her devoted parents and assorted Hackney community activists. It’s the pub’s “ska bar” session and some guy is laying down some nice sevens. One crystal clear instrumental with a beautiful sax floats over the picnic benches. I break cover and ask him what it is: “Oh that one’s new mate, it’s called ‘Walk Away'”.

And that was only the version.

I remembered Bitty from his 90s pop hit “It Keeps Rainin'” and that UB40 had “discovered” him. Perhaps not a great start, but few things could have prepared us for this – a great new vocal on top of an old Treasure Isle riddim courtesy of the Peckings record shop in Shepherd’s Bush (which is best known for its association with Treasure Isle rivals Studio One, in fact!). The album “On Bond Street” followed and Bitty hasn’t let us down since – I also rate his cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Lately”, and in fact pretty much everything he has done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8tT8L6UlJI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pltnzwor7Z4

South Rakkas Crew ‘Red Alert’ (2004) or ‘Bionic Ras’ (2005) riddims

Outernational business out of Orlando. South Rakka’s “Clappas” riddim had provided some fun in 2003 – Alozade and Hollow Point’s “Under My Sensi” getting serious play and an eventual dubstep remix (which sucked all the life out of it). But Red Alert and Bionic Ras were proper next level stuff – an incredibly potent combination of acid techno and ragga which appealed to all sorts. If Rhythm and Sound’s Burial Mix tunes had the introspective epic dub thing down, then this lot captured the batty wiggling ragga throwdown most effectively and gave it a twist for the new millennium.

Fine memories of Bionic Ras getting played by The Bug at BASH with various effects and premier league MCs over the top of it. Standing on the dancefloor at Plastic People, pretty boxed, surrounded by mates, full force soundsystem – I actually started welling up because it was so good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_0oklhE0BI

Natty King – Guns To Town (2 Miles 2004)

(best video I could find, apologies)

Great tune, great sentiment, great bassline, but severely overshadowed by…

Turbulence – Notorious (THC Muzik 2005)

As I said at the time:

Wow. Belated, as ever, due to not being able to find it in the shops.

Turbulence often gets dismissed as a Sizzla wannabe, but this tune brings him forward as a serious contender. Huge growling riddim with a nice driving synth bass which almost reminds me of the more manicly-depressive synth pop of my youth. Lyrics also do the business – you think he is talking about how he could have been a contender, but then you realise he’s saying that he threw away a life of petty-gangsterism when he found rastafari.

B-side is by someone called Initial T on the same riddim and really reminds me of some 80s pop tune in terms of the vocal melody. It is driving me a bit mad, in fact, trying to suss out what it is.

If South Rakkas had balls-out dancefloor action sorted, this tune hinted at a far more subtle combination of roots reggae and technology. Unfortunately few attempted to follow it up, but this was another huge crossover tune in its time.

Incredibly Paul Meme didn’t like this much the first time I played it to him, during one of our many many many vinyl sessions when he stayed over at mine. He soon came ’round though and insisted that we included it on our On The Wire (for Steve Barker’s BBC Lancashire show) and Grime In The Dancehall (for Droid’s Blogariddims series) mixes. I’m usually quite purist about not using the same tunes again in mixes, but I relented in this case.

And yes Trim, did his own awesome version on Soulfood volume 1.